Interesting Times
by Celrevia
Summary: Sometimes, Hiwatari Satoshi, you have to face the New Year, red lanterns and lesser-demon bunny tissue paper aside. Part of the 'Seasons' arc. shounen-ai for all it's worth


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Author Note: I had a great time writing this, as usual, because I was flu-y and congested and pretty much miserable but I was also cackling wickedly in my own little Secret Laughing Place. Good times. I didn't really go over it that well so it may have the usual blunders and typos. If you could inform me about them, whatever. It'd be great. Ficlet of relatively short length.

"Winter" of the _Seasons_ Arc. "Spring" will be done around White Day (March 14).Happy New Year!**Disclaimer**: DN Angel is not mine. Don't sue. Also, shounen-ai hints but that kind of goes along with being into DN Angel. Ok, I think that's it.

'...' - thoughts from no particular character

"..." - speech from no particular character

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Interesting Times

"May you live in interesting times." - Old Chinese Curse

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'Dark... I hate you...'

__

In the world of lesser demons there are only five known categories of matter; master, food, something you mated with, something you fought, a rock. To say the least, there were usually very few masters, not enough food, and way too many rocks. Most of the time, something you could mate with was most likely something you fought. With had long ago established that this was so in all humans he had met over the few centuries he had existed. Well... maybe it was just his human.

"Don't be silly," Dark said as he changed into Daisuke's body, "you don't hate me. Hnn... Daisuke, you need to pick baggier clothes next time. Neh? Those were a little too tight for me."

'Maybe you need to lose weight,' Daisuke bit back, 'they fit me fine. And don't you dare pick that up! What are you doing? Hey! Stop that!'

__

It was the least to say that With's human, or rather, humans were very interesting for their kind. But that doesn't really matter... back to the subject at hand... 

Dark re-adjusted the loose white shirt on Daisuke's smaller frame as he looked himself in the mirror and fingered the string on the package he planned to deliver. He liked the personal touch to any gift. It showed you... cared.

"But I don't see," Dark said complacently to his doppelganger, "why you have to be so stubborn. It's not like we'll be killed. I'm too young for that."

__

More likely than not mates had a nasty tendency to, say, try to suck out your soul through your eye or consume your physical body therefore sending your spirit into a state of limbo for all eternity. There were worse things you could do for love. In Daisuke's case it was more like...

'... and we nearly got killed when you jumped off that building! He's getting closer and closer to arresting us each time and you aren't even taking it seri... DAAAAARK! Have you heard a word I've said? We ARE going to get killed and you're not liste-'

"Do you really think that I would let anything happen to you? Trust me we'll be fine. It is, after all, the holiday season and there's nothing better than..."

'...'

"...delivering gifts to old friends! It's nice to receive presents from friends. At least I like to receive presents from friends, how about you?"

'...'

"There we go! Ready to go, Daisuke?"

'... if I could drop-kick you Dark, I swear...'

"Ready to go then!"

__

Over his lifetime working with Dark, With had realized that his master was like one of those demons that will find a companion, mate or not, for life which meant that he would protect, or in some cases, hinder Daisuke. With highly doubted that this was very good for Daisuke's blood pressure.

"... and you know it'll be fun. Neh? You trust me, right Daisuke?"

Dark smiled at his fading reflection in the mirror and tugged at the chain of his newest plunder.

"Oh, Daisuke," Dark valiantly replied as he blew Daisuke's reflection a kiss, "it was your idea in the first place. Come on With, I'm going to need a ride there."

__

With had a duty to protect them even if, in the end, an enemy tossed a rock or possibly your master at you, therefore crushing your small lesser-demon self into a very LARGE rock-thing. At least the food was good. And it was an interesting life, better than being locked up in some strange amulet like other beings he knew *ahem* You only live once, as some long dead human had once said, you might as well enjoy it.

+++++

"...and as you can see, by using the rope and the giant iron cage we can succe-"

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click 

Saehara's voice was cut off in a matter of minutes and only the mute sound of a slowly growing migraine could be heard through the apartment. That had been Saehara's fourth phone call of the evening to his much younger chief-in-charge and the chief in question had previously spent the night deployed upon a very cold rooftop to watch over a large, shiny, and very precious necklace and several even more precious items get stolen from a very high-security museum.

So-called chief in question slowly walked toward a very blank wall and stared at it, mentally burning a very Saehara-shaped hole through its monotonous paint-job. 

On the coffee table of this officer's desk sat seven very large red packages from assorted girls in his department at work and some from school. All had very large winter-themed cards wishing him a Happy Holidays and Happy New Year and, Hiwatari-kun? Would You Meet Me By the School Fence When We Get Back from Winter Vacation? 

Several other packages had been hastily stuffed under the table itself, some already sporting curt thanks-but-no-thanks messages on them that Hiwatari Satoshi had planned to drop off at the post office the next morning. 

Satoshi had considered that he really was cursed with bad blood. And it wasn't just because of Krad.

Bloodlines in the Hikari family had touched, in most parts, the strongest bloodlines of the east. Intermingling many times with the strongest shaman and sorcerer lines in what was now modern China, which did tend to install some very strange quirks into one's DNA. For example... red. 

New Year celebrations made Satoshi really itch. Deep within him he could feel his body hum and purr about making dumplings and meat buns and inviting family over and Look! Red decorations! Let's put them on the door for luck!

He could feel the slow-coming migraine that was building in-between his temples from the up-coming New Year. And it wasn't just for traditional New Year either, he had a feeling that his blood had channeled into every culture's New Year and was going to out-celebrate him to death every time it felt any form of New Year's arriving. He couldn't look at another lantern or he really was going to get sick. 

He had a feeling that the raw energy of his instincts was filtering into Krad, who was scarily cheerful and seemed to chirp every fifteen minutes or so about new and more inventive ways to kill Niwa. What was more disturbing was that Krad would occasionally say something holiday-orientated and proceeded to fall into a deep and slightly giddy trance for about an hour. Satoshi had come to the point where he was cursing every single drop of blood in his body even more so than usual.

Satoshi was starting to see hazy spots of red and gold everywhere. The constant mention of the death(s) of Niwa was not helping either. Feeling nauseated, disgusted with Saehara and his incompetence, and acidicly irritated from staying up an entire winter night trying to catch Dark, there was no point but to sleep-out the week in hopes that he would miss the dreaded New Year and regain his remaining scraps of sanity. 

And at that moment all he wanted to do was sle-

"What are you doing here?"

+++++

'Time to shine, Daisuke, I'll give the controls over to you for a second.'

'I am going to kill you if Krad doesn't kill you fi-'

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" - irst."

Two very large and confused eyes blinked at Satoshi. Twice. Before taking a sliding glance to the right and then to the left.

__

Warm smile, candied-apple hair, auburn eyes, sitting on my bed. He couldn't have been there that long. Door locked, windows locked, vents barred. Impossible to get through. Seals on doors and windows and any possible openings. Not even a mouse could get in.

"Oh... Hi-Hiw-Hiwatari-kun... Ah..." Daisuke's voice, not Dark.

__

But this Mouse got in. Typical.

Daisuke's brow furrowed, face going blank in an instant. Satoshi took a step back toward the doorframe and suddenly a new voice rolled out.

"Hello, Mr. Anderson." Dark's voice rumbled pleasantly.

"..." 

A sigh, and then more concentration as Daisuke seemingly battled Dark for control. The lines on his face danced vivaciously as a rather bemused Satoshi watched. 

Daisuke, reflected Satoshi, was going to crow's feet if he wasn't careful. Satoshi could imagine exactly what Daisuke would look like in a few years. Like his father, except with that hair in a much more messy state, probably. Red...

"Stupid, you're going to burn a hole through that wall if you keep glaring at it like that." Dark-in-Daisuke moved closer and produced a large red bag with tufts of matching rabbit-print tissue paper sticking out at odd angles. "Daisuke was going to give you this at school on Friday but you walk too fast and he said that someone would have taken it by mistake if we had left it for you in the museum last night and then he was going to bring it to you this morning but he chickened out."

"..." 

"Heh. Never gotten a present before, Mr. Commander Sir?" Dark grinned and then shook his head, "Okay, Daisuke. You can come back now. No need for grumbling, scaredy cat. Had to have me do this for you. You should be thankful!"

And then, Dark was gone and it was just Niwa again who blinked twice, sneezed, and then made some furtive glances toward the bedroom door. 

"Uh... Well," Daisuke shuffled a little closer to the door as he avoided the slow and steady look Satoshi was directing, seemingly, three inches behind his head, "I havetogonowbyeeeee!... Ooof."

+++++

The problem with running is that if, per say, someone decides to stick their arm out in front of you as you're trying to make your get-away you get bowled over like a puppy that's walked right into a door. Daisuke had learned this the hard way, as was best.

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Daisuke didn't really want to open his eyes. He was trying to pretend that he really wasn't on his back in Hiwatari-kun's bedroom while Dark was probably having a field day in his own little Secret Laughing Place. He was going to open his eyes and he'd be safely tucked away in his room in...

"...ahem... Niwa-kun?"

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5...

"Niwa-kun..."

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4...

"... ... ... Niwa-kun..."

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3...

"... ... Niwa-kun..."

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2...

"... Niwa-kun ... you are on my foot."

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1...

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blink

"Oh... eh... heheheh... sorry, Hiwatari-kun."

Daisuke didn't know how he'd do it, but he really was going to kill Dark. Or, at least, refuse to buy him any sweets for a long, long, time. Blinking some more, as a light switch was flicked on, a very pale hand reached out towards him from an equally pale arm that was attached to, what seemed like, the sleeve of a dark-blue shirt attached to an expressionlessly pale boy. 

"I imagine, Niwa-kun, that you are most likely wanted at home. You should probably get going before it gets really dark."

"Err... yea."

Satoshi politely helped the boy up, politely walked him toward the door - carefully nudging the edges of the packages that were sticking out safely in place under the coffee table - and wished him well.

Daisuke couldn't help getting the feeling that two very large blue eyes were staring at his neck and just as he was about to open the door an arm. No, the arm that his chest and shoulders had previously gotten acquainted with wrapped itself around his waist. Another arm appeared, seemingly, out of thin air and moved to put itself in a way that not only restrained Daisuke's head from thrashing around but also allowed two slim fingers to trace down his neck like cold fire. 

Daisuke meeped.

"Pardon me, Niwa-kun, but I do believe," Hiwatari-kun said scarily calm and with a hint of amusement, "that you have something that I want to keep."

Two slender fingers slid around the first vertebrae and traced the clasp of the necklace's chain before deftly unhooking it but not before it traced Daisuke's left shoulder blade like the edge of a sword. The other arm moved lower to the brim of the shirt before it reached under Daisuke's shirt - pressing a cool palm on Daisuke's stomach - and caught the jeweled pendant as it slid down Daisuke's front.

"Happy holidays, Niwa-kun," Satoshi bemusedly sighed as he took a deep breath of the Niwa's hair before he opened the door and politely pushed Niwa out, "See you at school." And promptly the door slammed shut in Daisuke's rather wide-eyed face.

'Ahem... You know Daisuke,' Dark whimsically cajoled from his private corner in Daisuke's mind, 'I do believe that Mr. Commander Sir just... molested you...' and then retreated to laugh himself to death.

Not that Daisuke could really hear him... he was... otherwise preoccupied.

"OH. MY. GOD." 

'BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...'

+++++OMAKE+++++

Satoshi had a feeling that the gift was probably safe to open. Whisking all the other packages off the coffee table in a flurry of wrapping-paper confusion he sat the little red bag down. Glaring at the little bunny-covered tissue paper, Satoshi had a sneaking suspicion that these looked a little too much like that little demon bunny thing. Of course, it was the Niwas' and he wouldn't have been the least surprised if they didn't have phantom-thief tissue paper tucked away in the house as well.

He peaked.

__

Sigh

A package of very festive red-lantern Christmas lights lay cheekily at the bottom of the bag next to seven very large packets of hot chocolate mix.

"Typical."

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Author Note: And I do, by the way, have a right to criticize Chinese New Year as I've experienced it many-a-time and to tell you the truth, it's not that peachy of an experience. Now if you excuse me, I have to go blow my nose... 

1/4/04: Tried messing with the formatting a little and fixed some mistakes courtesy of AznSage. Thank you.


End file.
